Fallen Dream
by hrhowling
Summary: After being defeated by another dream demon and stripped of his power, Bill Cipher is now in the care of Stanford Pines. Now he has to get used to his new life in Gravity falls with the help of a certain Pine Tree and Shooting Star as he tries to hold onto who he believes he is meant to be. (rated T because I'm paranoid)
1. Chapter 1

**Gaaah! I need to stop starting new fanfictions!**

 **Welcome to 'Fallen Dream' everybody! This probably won't be updated as frequently as my Skulduggery Pleasant fic until said fic is finished, so don't hate me if there's a sudden lack of updates here. I ain't gonna bother doing a disclaimer, because only an idiot would accuse me of claiming that I own Gravity Falls on a website dedicated to _fan_ fiction. Although I do own Alter. But other than that, I don't own anything else.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~hrhowling**

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – It's Over**

Stanford Pines couldn't believe it.

It was over.

Bill Cipher; triangular, cane-wielding, one-eyed, brick-patterned, top-hat-wearing, conniving, sociopathic dream demon; was gone. Defeated, powerless, his plans null and void. The world was safe once more.

And all it had taken was another dream demon. True, she'd been somewhat nuts herself, but it was a different kind of crazy compared to Cipher's. More of a playful, curious and childish insanity; one that was insightful, prone to sporadic ideas and somewhat kinder with a strong belief in redemption. Stanford had been pretty damn lucky to be presented with her on his first attempt at a summoning; there were so many dream demons out there, the chances of meeting her first were less than one in a million. Not only had she been reliable, but she'd been powerful, too. Yep, Stanford had gotten lucky on this one.

"G-g…" Bill Cipher stuttered dumbly, the priceless look of confusion and hopelessness in his eye being enough to bring a triumphant smirk onto Stanford's face.

"It's over, Cipher," Stanford announced. "You've lost."

The nutcase didn't respond; simply gripping large tufts of the grass beneath him as his form shook violently. This wasn't happening…

Satisfied with the results, Stanford turned to leave.

Only for a familiar set of alternating eyes to materialise in front of him.

"What do you want?" Stanford asked irritably. The demon had won, she could leave now. Why wasn't she going?

"You may or may not have forgotten your end of the deal," the white apparition said simply, no emotion showing in her eyes.

Stanford's shoulders sagged. Of course. Just like Cipher; Alter was bound by deals. Deals she didn't forget. Deals that she made sure _all parties_ upheld.

"I know you don't like it," Alter continued, "but it's either that, or I don't uphold _my_ end of the deal. Fail to meet my requirements, and you have to deal with Bill Cipher _all. Over. Again_. And this time, I won't be helping you."

Stanford winced. He really didn't want to suffer that consequence. "Why couldn't you have destroyed him and be done with it?" he protested. "You told me that that's what usually happens when a Challenge is initiated between dream demons."

Alter shrugged nonchalantly. "I want to be entertained. And watching people grow, change and develop into something more complex than what they originally were is something that entertains me. Besides; the only reason the losers of Challenges are normally destroyed is because the winners are too boring and unimaginative to come up with anything better to do with the husk. According to those almighty toffs; a defeated dream demon doesn't make a very interesting pet. They're usually quite miserable and dampen the mood at a party."

Sighing, Stanford rubbed his forehead impatiently. Alter had won, there was no point arguing with her. She was really stubborn when she wanted to be, and it probably wouldn't do to let her grow bored. Apparently, if she got bored, she'd daydream – or as close to it as she could get seeing as how she resided in a world of dreams – and her imagination would run wild and wind up affecting the physical plane.

"Okay, okay," he consented, looking back up at the white dream demon in annoyance. "But _only_ until the end of the summer; then he's on his own. That's the deal."

A delighted; but thankfully not toothy; smile met Alter's long face. "Wonderful!" she chirped. "Of course, you can always keep him if you wind up having second thoughts…"

"Not happening. End of the summer, and then I don't want anything more to do with him. Capiche?"

"Alright; capiche. Now go on, take him home and get some ice on his head or something." Alter took a moment to look at the defeated dream demon. "I think I might have hit him a _little_ too hard."

A cursory glance told Stanford that Alter was right to presume so. Cipher was on his knees and trembling so violently that it wouldn't have been much of a surprise if he'd started a small earthquake there and then. His eye was wide; the pupil a mere pinprick in its surface; but lacking any sort of tangible emotion. An iron grip still held tight onto the grass beneath him.

"You okay, Cipher?" Alter asked; genuine concern in her voice.

That was all it took for Bill to snap.

"Give it back!" he screeched; mad rage filling his eye as he suddenly rose to his feet, only for his lower right leg to twist and buckle beneath him at a nasty-looking angle. It didn't stop him from shrieking at Alter in outrage. "Give it back, you… you… you cheating little-!"

"Hey, I won fair and square, Triangles," Alter said defensively; raising a clawed hand to emphasize her point and firmly swiping Bill over the back of the head with her long tail. "You should be thanking me for not simply decimating your near-empty husk instead of letting you live to insult me the way you are now. _And_ that I'm getting Six-Finger here to look after you for a while."

Heedless of any sound argument Alter used to try and quell his anger, Bill continued to scream profanity at the greater demon and demand that she gave him back his power ' _right this instant_ '. He went on for precisely twelve minutes, four point three-two seconds (yes, Stanford _timed him_. For research!); spewing language so colourful that if Stanley had been present, even he'd have cringed. Bill's rant wasn't even restricted to English, either. Multiple languages poured forth into his words, including Pig Latin, Greek and some sort of gibberish that McGuckett was often caught mumbling.

When Bill was finally out of breath, everything about him _sagged_ , and he slumped over, gasping for breath. He was spent of everything now; his power, his rage, and his ability to expel that rage. Now he just looked pathetic.

"You done, Cipher?" Alter deadpanned.

A hiccup-like, choking sound was the only response she got as Bill curled in on himself and tried to make himself smaller. His actions confused Stanford. What was he doing? Was he trying to go back into the Mindscape? Had Alter inexplicably double-crossed him?

"Well, I'd best be going," Alter announced, seemingly unaware of Cipher's actions. "I have some new territory to explore." She gave her wings an experimental flap to test the air, and she liked what she got. Then she returned her attention to Bill and Stanford. "Look after him for me, 'kay? You don't have to like him, but keep him alive at the very least."

Stanford nodded silently, and Alter immediately took off to the skies, the fierce beats of her wings making noise but not disturbing anything in reality.

"Remember!" she yelled over her shoulder. "Reality is painful. Imagination and dreams are an escape. You can build anyone out of someone! Bye!" And with that, she disappeared into the Mindscape, leaving Stanford to deal with Cipher. The psychopath was now rocking back and forth, muttering unintelligibly.

"Alright, Cipher," Stanford grunted apathetically. "Come on; on your feet."

Bill didn't move from his hunched position on the ground, but lifted his head to look up at Stanford with uncharacteristic fear in his eye. "Huh..?" he mumbled vacantly.

"If you believe I'll be carrying you, then think again, nutcase."

The defeated entity stared at him blankly, but a stern look from Stanford prompted him to haul himself to his feet. The odd angle of his leg suddenly increased with a sickening noise that sounded like a mix between a squelch and a snap, making Stanford feel understandably sick. Immediately, Bill screamed in agony, the high-pitched sound splitting the air as he fell to the floor, twisting his leg even more.

"Holy…" Stanford breathed. "You sure can scream."

Bill didn't formulate a comprehensible reply, because much to Stanford's surprise, he burst into tears and started wailing pitifully. "It hurts!" he sobbed. "And it's not hilarious anymore! Please, I want it to go away!"

Unwelcome pity tugged at Stanford's chest as Cipher continued to bawl uncontrollably; his pained ramblings mainly focusing on how pain wasn't as funny as he'd thought. The crazy demon was so wrapped up in it that he didn't notice Stanford walking up to him and lowering himself to his knees. Clearly, his leg was broken very badly, and was likely going to cause permanent damage if it wasn't looked at soon.

"Fine," Stanford grumbled. "I'll carry you."

Carefully, he took a hold of Bill's leg and straightened it out as well as he could. Understandably, this made the demon cry harder as the pain increased.

"If I don't straighten it out now, it won't heal correctly and it will never top hurting," Stanford threatened when Bill tried to scramble away. "So do yourself a favour and hold still."

Pathetic, hiccupping sobs still escaped Bill, but he complied and allowed Stanford to straighten his leg out and hold it still with the help of a makeshift splint fashioned from sturdy sapling branches and some strips of bark. There was no way to tell if the damage was a clean break or something worse. Once he was done, he carefully hooked an arm underneath Bill's legs; careful not to agitate the broken one any more than was necessary; and slipped the other around his back, lifting him up bridal style.

"Come on, you little twerp," Stanford muttered. "Let's get you home."

* * *

When the light show faded, Stanley was left with the bitter taste of anxiety in his mouth. Who'd won the Challenge? If Alter had won, then was she staying true to her word? Was Stanford alright? These questions and many more stampeded through his mind as he fretted over the battle's outcome. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that whatever had happened; he wouldn't be any help if he was too nervous to think. Therefore, he chose to sit in front of the TV with a can of Pitt Cola in his hand.

Half an hour later, the sound knocking at the door caught his attention.

"Stanford?" he called out, hoping that it was indeed his twin brother. "Are you alright?" Quickly, he got up and headed for the door, where he could see the blurred form of Stanford through the window. He appeared to be carrying something in his arms.

"I'm fine," Stanford grumbled from the other side of the door. "Mind opening the door? I've got my hands full."

Immediately, Stanley complied and allowed Stanford to sidle in with the bundle he had wrapped in his coat. He was visibly irritated, if the lines on his forehead were any indication.

"What've you got there, Ford?" Stanley enquired as he closed the door.

"Alter's new pet," Stanford grumbled. "Lee, meet Bill Cipher."

Begrudgingly, Stanford pulled away the fabric of his coat to reveal the small, shaking young boy beneath it. Long, yellow-gold hair flopped over his left eye; and the hair on the crown of his head was a glossy black colour. His visible eye was baby blue in colour and glistening with recently shed tears that had seeped into the fabric of… what was he wearing? Some sort of flowy, silky-looking suit jacket that shimmered gold and black dress pants made of the same material. Whatever it was, it looked ridiculous.

"I expected a moody triangle," Stanley said, slightly confused. "Not a whiny-looking kid. That whacko demon seriously expects us to look after him?"

Stanford said nothing, and the shivering Bill Cipher whimpered softly, burying his face into the older man's chest. "Still hurts," he whined. "Still ain't funny."

"What's he going on about?" Stanley questioned.

"His leg's broken pretty badly," Stanford explained. "I straightened it out, but he's going to need to go to the hospital to get it x-rayed."

"Great, we have a cripple on our hands. I'm just glad he'll be gone by the end of the summer-. Oh… Oh, that's gonna be a problem."

"What?"

"Dipper and Mabel are staying this summer."

"Oh. That _is_ going to be a problem."


	2. Chapter 2

**This was originally longer, but I cut it in half. Have some slightly out of character Bill. Enjoy, and be sure to review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2 – Dodging the Problem**

 _A week and a half later_

"Grunkle Stan!"

Stanley grinned happily as a thirteen-year-old Mabel cannoned into his legs, almost knocking him over. He hadn't seen the twins since last summer, and it had been amazing to find out that they were staying with him again whilst their parents were on a business trip. Hopefully this summer would be less… eventful. Pssh, who was he kidding? Of course trouble would find them somehow.

"Mabel, Dipper," he chuckled, bending down to hug Mabel. "It's been too long, kids."

"It's great to see you, too, Grunkle Stan," Dipper smiled as he hauled his suitcase in behind him. "How are you and Great Uncle Ford?"

"We're doing fine. Ford almost passed out last month because he spent too long in the lab without sleeping, but other than that; he's alright."

"Well, he'd better not be a Mr. Snooze Recluse this summer," Mabel said. "I want to enjoy my stay with _both_ of my Grunkles this year."

"That can be arranged. Come on, grab your things and take them to the attic. Just try to ignore the lodger in there."

At this, Dipper and Mabel both looked up at their great uncle in confusion. "The lodger?" Mabel repeated. "Who else is staying here?"

Stanley immediately blanched. "You might want to see for yourself. I can explain once Ford gets back. He's gone on one of his nerdy field trips again."

The twins looked dissatisfied, but luckily didn't press any further. Calling Waddles after her, Mabel darted inside with Dipper following, and Stan breathed a sigh of relief. He'd avoided having to explain Cipher's presence on his own.

* * *

Up in the attic, Mabel and Dipper were hastily unpacking their things when the former of the twins noticed something.

"When did Grunkle Stan get that upper level cleared out?" Mable asked, pointing up to the area of the attic in question. The one that had been crammed full of random junk the last time she'd been to the Mystery shack.

"I dunno," Dipper shrugged. "But it looks like some stuff for a bedroom's been moved up there. Maybe it's where the other guest is staying."

At this revelation, Mabel grinned. "Oooh! Maybe he's still up there!" she mused. "Do you think he's cute?"

"Mabel, you don't even know if he's anywhere near your age," Dipper deadpanned. "And he might not be all that sociable, y'know?"

Unsurprisingly, Mabel wasn't listening. She was already climbing up the short flight of stairs that lead up to the attic's upper level, where she saw a bed with pale, creamy yellow blankets on top placed in the corner, a small chest of drawers set beside said bed, and a rickety wooden chair at the foot of it. Sat on the bed; knees drawn up to their chest; was a skinny figure wearing a light blue t-shirt and black dress pants. A mop of gold hair obscured their face, and they appeared to be muttering something to themselves whilst one hand picked at the edge of a white plaster cast that encased their lower right leg.

"Hi!" Mabel suddenly yelled, having somehow made it from the top of the stairs to the edge of the newcomer's bed without being noticed. "I'm Mabel, what's your name?"

The stranger; a young boy, as it turned out; immediately screamed in horror and tried to scramble away, but only succeeded in falling off of the bed and landing painfully on the wooden floor; his rear making an ineffective cushion for the impact.

"Ow," he whined. "N-not funny."

"Hey, you alright?" Mabel asked. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Whining, the boy shook his head and shuffled away.

"Sorry about that. Here, let me help you," Mabel offered, holding out her hand. After a moment of staring at the appendage sceptically, the boy took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. Or rather foot, since one leg was in the cast and he didn't seem happy about placing any weight on it.

"What's your name?" Mabel asked again.

"I'm-."

"Alright," Stan announced as he walked in. "I'm hoping you guys are-. Hey, Mabel; I thought I told you to ignore him."

"Aaw, come on, Grunkle Stan," Mabel protested, a cheeky smile on her face. "How can you ignore a face so adorable? I mean, look at him. Poor thing needs a hug."

With that said, she immediately hugged the strange boy, prompting a startled squeak from him. It was only now that Dipper noticed how thin he was. Mabel had her arms wrapped right around him with little effort.

"Jeez, summer romances again?" Stan grumbled. "Listen, Ford's back. He can explain why _He's_ here." He shot the boy a stern look. "Come on, get your behinds downstairs into the kitchen."

* * *

Back in the kitchen, Ford was just pulling off his battered old coat and hanging it up by the door. His boots were splattered with mud, courtesy of the rain that had fallen the night before, several twigs were visibly caught in his messy hair, and a cut on his left cheek was slowly oozing with red blood that had only just started scabbing over.

"Note to self;" he muttered as he pulled out (the more or less complete) Journal #3 from its place on the shelf and opened it out to the page on gnomes, "gnomes are especially aggressive during summer months. Avoid them, unless you want to be turned into barbeque ribs. Something to do with a yearly festival."

"Finally, you're back!" Stanley exclaimed as he walked in. "The kids are here, and they're asking questions about… y'know."

"Oh. Where are they now?"

"Helping our 'guest' down the stairs. He left his crutches by the door. _Again_."

Upon hearing this, Ford rolled his eyes. "Ask them to come in here so I can talk to them. I've got to patch up my face. Damn thorns keep getting in the way when I'm running from angry gnomes."

"You know what? I ain't even going to ask. I'll get the kids, you can disinfect that cut."

Ford nodded in affirmation, and as Stanley went to hurry the kids up, he grabbed the first aid kit from beneath the sink. Opening it up, he pulled out some cotton wool and soaked it in disinfectant, rubbing it on his face until the wound was clean. Then he put a bandage over it to stop any dirt getting into it.

By the time he was done, Bill had hobbled into the kitchen behind Stan and the twins. The ex-demon bore an expression on his face that was a mix between annoyance and all-out depression; something that had been there a lot during his stay at the Mystery Shack. Clearly, the loss of his power had left him more than upset.

"Grunkle Ford!" Mabel exclaimed, rushing over and slamming into him in a hug. "Hey, how'd you hurt your face? Did something attack you again?"

"Gnomes," Stanford chuckled. "I had to high-tail away from them, and a bush got in the way."

At the mention of the gnomes, Mabel grimaced. "I don't wanna ask. Hey, who's' the new guy? Grunkle Stan said you'd tell us."

Immediately, Ford rolled his eyes. Typical Stan; trying to dodge trouble. "I see. Listen, you two might want to sit down for this."


	3. Chapter 3

**As usual, when I start a story, I am pumping out chapters like it's the end of the world.**

 **But I might be taking a step back from this story soon so I can write about how I believe Stan and Ford made up with each other, so keep checking my profile for that if you notice a lack of updates for this story.**

 _ **To Lilliana Dragonshard:**_ **Haha! I'm glad you find him cute. As for age, well he's about ten or eleven, but has mood swings like any hormonal teen XD When he's in a 'normal mood', he has the mentality of an eight-year-old, though. And I also knows what it's like to have a cast. I broke my arm the day before my eighth birthday! DX Not good!**

 **There's a My Little Pony reference hidden in this chapter for all you bronies and pegasisters (if you take the name, of course) in the Gravity Falls fandom. Tell me who you are, so I know I'm not alone!**

 **More out of character Bill Cipher, and possibly OOC Mabel ahead. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – Clean Slate**

" _THAT'S_ BILL CIPHER?!"

Ford winced at the volume of Dipper's outburst, but thankfully he'd been expecting something akin to it. After all, this was Bill Cipher they were talking about. No one who knew the demon would be happy about spending a _week_ with him, let alone an entire summer.

"Yes, Dipper," Stanford said.

"Okay, I don't wanna hug you anymore," Mabel announced, shuffling her seat away from Bill.

"But… how... how is Bill _human_?" Dipper questioned. "Last time I checked, he couldn't leave the Mindscape unless he possessed a living body." Upon saying this, he glanced at Bill. It was ridiculous how a triangular demon could suddenly become a human boy who couldn't be much older than eleven. _Twelve_ , at a stretch.

Immediately, Bill cringed, but no one seemed to notice.

"I enlisted the help of another dream demon," Ford explained. "It was risky, but I managed to get lucky. She-."

"She?" Dipper interrupted.

"Yes. She. I managed to learn a few things from her; mainly how to defeat another dream demon. As it turns out, the best way for that to happen was for a demon more powerful than Cipher to… 'Challenge' him, as they call it."

"'Challenge'?" Dipper echoed curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

"To put it simply; it's a fight between the two contestants. Winner takes all. Power, knowledge, even the area they preside over. As you can see; Cipher lost."

"That stupid fire-bat cheated," Bill growled under his breath, earning a stern look from Stanford.

"If I recall," he countered, " _you_ were the one who tried to summon another monster of the Mindscape _halfway through the Challenge_. Which was _supposed_ to be _one-on-one_ , _only_. Alter only countered your attempts with her own summoning."

Surprisingly, Bill didn't argue. Instead, he only lowered his head and glared at the table.

"That still doesn't explain why Bill is _human_ and _here_ right now," Dipper objected.

"It was part of the stupid deal that Ford agreed to," Stanley grumbled. "Although I honestly can't see why that darn demon couldn't have destroyed this nuisance and be done with it."

"You made a deal with a dream demon?!" Dipper yelled. "That's crazy! Why did you-?"

"It was the best option available," Stanford interrupted. "Thankfully, the deal was easy enough. If Alter won the Challenge, then I was supposed to serve as a guardian for Cipher until the end of this summer break. It was either that, or she returned his power to him, and left me to deal with an even more ticked off top-hat-wearing Eye of Providence on my own."

"And what will happen when summer vacation is over?"

Stanford shrugged. "Then he's on his own. Probably going to serve as a sort of 'pet' of Alter's. I never got the specifics, but either way; Bill here won't be a problem ever again."

"How do you know she won't go back on her word?" Dipper pressed.

An exasperated sigh escaped Stanford's lungs. "I spent a long time wondering if I could trust Alter before I enlisted her actual help," he said. "And like I said; I got lucky. She's trustworthy enough, albeit her ideas are rather… odd, to say the least. She claimed that she had plans to make Sherriff Blubs and Deputy Durland a couple by manipulating their dreams."

At this, Mabel chuckled, followed by a high-pitched squeal. "Oh my gosh!" she shouted. "Someone else who ships it!" She stopped when everyone turned to stare at her. "What?"

"Time to pretend I never heard that," Dipper murmured, and both Stans nodded in agreement. Bill, however, was looking at Mabel with fascination; a change from his previously dispirited mood.

"Well, I'm going to make lunch," Stan announced, clapping his hands together and marching over to the cupboard where the food was kept. "Kids, why don't you go play outside? Just keep out of trouble."

"Okay," the younger twins chorused, standing up and heading outside. However, Mabel stopped at the front door for a moment before rushing back and grabbing Bill by the arm.

"Come on, Billy-Boy!" she whined, much to the shock of Stan and Ford.

"Mabel, I don't think-," Stan began.

"Oh, lighten up already!" Mabel countered. "Crazy dream demon or not, he's having a hard time and needs somebody to cheer him up. Now, let's go, Bill! Wait, do you have crutches?" she added, gesturing down to Bill's broken leg.

"By the door," Bill said quietly as he hopped after Mabel. Immediately, the girl grabbed his crutches from their place and handed them to him. "I… thanks…"

"You're welcome. Now come on, I wanna take Waddles for a walk."

Momentary confusion flashed across Bill's face, but it was quickly replaced with a neutral expression as he exited the house with Mabel. Now the only ones left were Stan and Ford.

"That girl's too nice for her own good," Stan grumbled as he brought out the chopping board and a few plates.

"Perhaps that's why Alter wanted me to look after him in the first place," Stanford said; putting away the first aid kit. "I'll have to ask, if she ever shows up again."

"What exactly does she have to gain through all of this?"

Stanford shrugged. "She said it would serve as entertainment of some sort. Apparently, watching people change is something she enjoys."

"Demons are weird."

"Agreed."

* * *

Outside, Bill was sat on the porch whilst Waddles snuffled at his bare feet, which were dangling over the edge. The pig's scratchy snout tickled him, and he found himself laughing and grinning at the whole thing. Pain might not have been hilarious any more, but being ticklish was.

Meanwhile, Mabel was sat beside him, fiddling with her grappling hook. "So what's it like being an actual human, huh?" she asked at one point. "Any different from being Bipper?"

Bill looked up in surprise at the Pines twin. There was no malice or scorn in her tone; she seemed genuinely interested. "It's scary," he murmured.

"Really? How come?"

At this, Bill's attitude suddenly changed, and he scowled at Mabel. "Why do you want to know?" he asked resentfully, although unbeknownst to him, Mabel could hear the underlying notes of fear and sadness mixing in with his voice. "Why do you even care, Shooting Star? All I've ever done to you is hurt you and everyone else around you, but all it takes is for some fire-bat to turn me into a human, and you're treating me like your best friend? It doesn't make sense!"

Mabel shrugged nonchalantly; unfazed by Bill's outburst. "What's the fun in making sense?" she questioned. "That Alter person made you human for a reason, Bill. My guess is that it's a second chance for you. And with a second chance comes a clean slate, if you catch my drift. Although I do remember what was on the old one, so we don't need to go through introductions all over again. Unless you want to, that is."

Bill frowned; perplexed. "Can we… try the clean slate thing?" he ventured after a moment of consideration.

Immediately, Mabel beamed. "Great!" she chirped, holding out her hand. "I'm Mabel Pines. I have a pet pig called Waddles, my first kiss was a fish man, and I got suspended in third grade after punching a guy who made fun of my brother's birthmark."

Now feeling a little perkier, Bill shook the offered hand and made his own introduction. "I'm Bill Cipher. I like sleeping on stardust, and werewolf puppies. I used to be a dream demon, but another demon made me human."

"Nice to meet you, Bill. Okay, so we're back to where we started; what's it like being human?"

The corners of Bill's face twitched downward slightly. "It's scary," he admitted yet again.

"How come?"

"Well… it's different from just possessing a random body," Bill explained hesitantly. "If… if something happens, then I can just leave, and I'll be fine. But now… now it's not that easy, and… I can actually die, now. I don't wanna die."

A pang of sympathy found its way into Mabel's chest, and it only grew more noticeable when she realised that Bill was ever so slightly shaking. Much to even her own surprise, she understood the cause of the former demon's fear. As an immortal demon, he had very little to fear; next to nothing could destroy him. But now that invulnerability was gone, and to feel so helpless all of a sudden must be terrifying.

"Hey, it's okay," she consoled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Scary stuff aside, what are the positives of being human?"

Hearing this, Bill felt strangely better, and his trembling ceased. "I like it when my body responds to emotions," he said; smiling somewhat. "Like; when I'm… excited, I think it's called; I feel all tingly. And that time when I watched that horror movie when Stan was asleep, and Six-Finger was doing sciency stuff in the basement and didn't know I hadn't gone to bed. I felt this crazy buzzing sensation in my limbs every time it got to a part where the characters were being chased by the killer, and it just felt so amazing!"

By now, a somewhat manic grin had formed on Bill's face, and he was waving his arms around to emphasize his point about what he was saying. Mabel bore a smile of her own, glad she was able to cheer him up.

"I got into trouble with Stanford, though," Bill trailed off. "Said that I shouldn't be up so late, which I didn't quite get, because he was up way later than me, even though he said that humans needed a lot of sleep."

"I think he sleeps in every morning," Mabel stated. "Or he has a lot of coffee. I dunno."

"Hey, kids! And Cipher!" Stan suddenly yelled from inside. "Lunch is ready!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! Not much to say right now besides responses to reviews, so I'll get those over and done with so that you guys can read at your leisure, okay?**

 _ **To GrimCookie:**_ **Haha, thanks, I'm so glad you like the story, and I'm very relieved I managed to keep Mabel in character. And I made Bill a little OOC on purpose because, well, he was rather traumatised to lose his power so abruptly, and he's also a kid now, so of course he's going to be acting a little differently :)**

 _ **To Liliana Dragonshard:**_ **Yeah, Bill really needs to learn how humans work properly XD**

 **I'm kinda just making most of this up on the spot, right now, and only a very basic plot has been set up. But yeah, I definitely need to give the Stans a good reason to trust Bill. Likely Ford is going to be the paranoid one. Especially because he promised to look after Bill for Alter. Alter can be... quite scary when she's angry. Hates being lied to or double-crossed.**

 _ **Leska (Guest):**_ **Oh. MaBill? Umm... sorry, but I'm keeping their relationship strictly platonic. No romance, but definitely friendship fluff in the future. Is that alright? I just don't really see them clicking like that (I prefer MermandoXMabel to be honest), and it would somewhat cause problems in the future, what with my end goal, which is [censored cuz SPOILERS!]. Yeah. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm hoping you'll like what I do have in store.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Resentment, Power and Places No Demon should Dare Enter**

Late that evening, Mabel, Dipper and Bill were sat in front of the TV, watching an extended episode of Ducktective. The Pines twins were both laughing, thoroughly enjoying the show, whilst Bill was enraptured into silence. Just like any kid who had been allowed to lay eyes on a cartoon.

"Alright, kids," Stanley announced as he walked in wearing his casual attire. "Bedtime. Same for you, Cipher."

"Aaaw," Bill immediately moaned in protest. "Can't we finish watching this? It's almost over. The thief hasn't been apprehended yet!"

Stan frowned; unconvinced. Cipher may have been forced onto the body of a kid, but he was still the same demon who had manipulated and traumatised his brother and aided Gideon in trying to steal the deeds to the Mystery Shack. There was no way he was cutting him any slack.

"Please, Grunkle Stan," Mabel pleaded. "It's just five minutes."

Mabel, however, was irresistible once she donned the puppy eyes.

"Fine," Stanley grunted. "But I want you and your brother up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, by seven in the morning. I'm taking you two fishing."

"Ooh! Can Bill come?"

"No." And before anyone could protest or even breathe, Stanley had vacated the room.

Bill didn't know whether he should be feeling upset or angry about Stanley's cold bluntness towards him, but after a moment's consideration, he figured that he was rather deserving of such treatment. After all, he'd done some things that humans didn't really appreciate. In fact, neither of the elder Pines twins had a reason to like him. Although Stanford spent a little bit of time with him, and made sure he was at the very least healthy whilst he moped in the attic about his fall from grace; which was admittedly something.

He didn't pay much attention to the rest of the episode, except from the part where it turned out that the cat lady from across the road was an accomplice to the crime as well ("She was crazy enough," Dipper had said), and he was startled out of his thoughts by Mabel, who also helped him get up the stairs (the last time he'd tried on his own, he'd almost broken his neck. That had _not_ been funny, especially not the horrible, achy feeling in his chest when Stanford had lost his temper with him, and went into a full-scale rant about the consequences of his actions. Six-Finger had almost seemed scared when it had happened).

Once dressed in a set of simple, light blue pyjamas, Bill rested his crutches against the wall and lay down on the bed. He really didn't have much to do besides sleep, and although he hadn't done all that much today, he felt rather tired.

"Goodnight, Bill!" Mabel called from the lower level of the attic. Bill heard Dipper mutter something under his breath, but he couldn't quite catch it.

"Sweet dreams, Shooting Star!" Bill returned. "Goodnight, Pine Tree!"

Dipper mumbled something in reply, and again, Bill couldn't quite make it out. Shrugging, he pulled the covers over him and allowed sleep to overcome him. After all, it was his only way back into the Mindscape, even if he couldn't leave his own.

* * *

The moment he felt sleep trying to lure him away, Stanford jolted into wakefulness, rubbing his eyes in frustration. He knew he shouldn't be depriving himself of sleep so much for simple lab work, but he just couldn't help the creeping paranoia that always followed Bill Cipher. Urgh, he hated it so much; his fear was completely redundant after Cipher had been stripped of all power. It just… really wasn't fair how he wasn't allowed to get over it.

Bill Cipher wasn't the only thing he was conflicted over. He was anxious to talk to Alter again, just to put his mind at ease that she had no bad intentions now that she possessed the other demon's power to top her own.

"Alter, what are you up to?" he murmured.

He didn't expect an actual _answer_.

"N'aaaw! I missed you, too, Sixer!"

At the sudden sound of the voice, Stanford yelled out in shock and literally jumped. Spinning round, he came face to, err, spiral with Alter. She'd taken her 'symbol form', surprisingly; a royal purple flame; about the size of his head; with a glowing white spiral in its centre that also flickered with multicolours and a pair of white dragon wings. When Stanford had first laid eyes on this Will-o'-the-wisp-looking creature, the wing membranes had been blank, but now, the image of a yellow Eye of Providence flashed through them every so often.

"What are you doing here?!" Stanford demanded, pointing an accusing finger at the dream demon.

"Well, you seemed to miss me, so I decided to visit you," Alter explained, sounding almost childish. "So how's it going with Bill? I noticed he was getting along pretty well with Dipper and Mabel."

"Don't you have all-seeing powers to find that out?" Stanford grumbled.

"Yeah, but I'd rather hear it from you. I just… prefer it when I talk to people face to face. Feels more normal."

"Normal?" Stanford questioned. "Alter, you are anything but normal."

"Yeah, but it's nice to see what it's like, y'know? Anyways, back to my question. How's Bill been doing?"

In response, Stanford shrugged. "He was pretty quiet for a while; possibly depressed. He perked up a little today; spent less time moping in his room."

Alter seemed happy to hear this, if the slight increase in the brightness of her flame was anything to go by. "That's good. Mabel seemed to be pretty forgiving, but I get the feeling Dipper isn't quite as happy about him."

"Is anybody?"

"You… kinda have a point. He was a bit of a twit."

"What are you trying to achieve from this?"

"Like I said; entertainment."

"But there has to be more to it than that."

"And there probably is. But I'm too scatter-brained to try and figure out my own head. Anyway, I've got to go. There's some romance that I want to help along, and a few people I need to check on. Remember; reality is painful, imagination and dreams are an escape, you can build anyone out of someone. Bye!"

And with that, she disappeared into the Mindscape. That was one of her quirks; a rare talent called Phase Shifting that allowed a dream demon to enter the physical plane without having to possess a body. She wasn't solid, though, and didn't have any conscious influence on the physical world, which was honestly a relief. God forbid if Bill Cipher had ever possessed such a talent. With his power, he probably would have been able to manipulate the physical world.

Stanford blanched. He may or may not have helped give a dream demon enough power to enter and affect the physical plane.

"Oh crap."

* * *

Alter chuckled as she saw the realisation dawning on Stanford Pines' face. The chuckle became a full-blown bellow of gleeful laughter that echoed through the Mindscape, and possibly some parts of the physical plane as well. The look on his face was priceless! Although she did feel a little bad for scaring him. She just hoped he understood that she had no intentions of copying Bill's actions. She'd tried it once; many years ago, in her early years as a demon; and she hadn't really liked it all that much. So now she tried to help people; created happy dreams for the depressed, showed greedy, egotistical people a bit of humility, and even tried to stir up a little romance here and there, as well. She didn't play with hearts or destroy the minds of those who didn't deserve it, though. The best way to describe what she did in her territory was that she acted as a sort of guide; giving people a nudge here and there, and if push came to shove, she went and kicked them.

When she finally calmed down, she teleported to the Gravity Falls Detention Centre for Minors. It was a dull, grey place that burned with red-hot anger, dirty green resentment, black violence and yellow-brown fear. Fleeting glimpses of white-gold hope and sparky green happiness flickered here and there, but other than that, the GFDCM was a smoking haze of negative emotions that made Alter's insides churn uncomfortably. She brushed it aside and made her way to a particular cell with the number thirty-two printed onto the door in black stencil letters; the type you'd find at an army camp.

Slipping through the door ( _Steel doors! Thou hast no power over me!_ ), Alter set her ever-changing gaze onto the inmate. Dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit, his hair had been closely shaved to his scalp, and he was currently lying on the bed; asleep. He was mumbling, too.

"Ah love ya, Mabel," he said quietly, rolling onto his back. Alter had to admit; she liked the accent, but the voice just ticked her off. "You and Ah shall rule this taown."

Alter rolled her eyes. This guy just didn't know when to quit, did he? Little ol' creep.

With some reluctance, she entered his dream.

Only to recoil in horror and immediately leave. Without leaving a second for consideration, she flew away, with one solemn promise. _Never again_ , would she dare enter the dreams of Gideon Gleeful.

* * *

 **Well, the little ol' creep's back! Time for things to move forward a little! What was he dreaming about? I don't want to delve into that, thanks! But I'm guessing it's something really, _really_ creepy involving Mabel, if the talking in his sleep has anything to do with it. I... really don't like Gideon. Neither does Alter. Or anyone else for that matter. *shudders* I'm not sure how much of a role he'll have in this story, but we've got to have at least _one_ bad guy here, right?**

 **Fun Fact: Dream demons can perceive the vibes and emotions of people and places, as shown in this chapter. Just a headcanon that I came up with to help me describe stuff from Alter's perspective.**

 **((Okay, so I've decided to have a shot at ending chapters the way 'HowAboutThat' does with their GF stories, because I think it seems fun. Let's see how this goes.))**

 **Alter: You should see the colour of people when they want to-! Mmf! Mmm!**

 **Tyler: *To Manly Dan in a panicked voice* Stop 'er! Stop 'er!**

 **Manly Dan: *holding Alter's mouth shut***

 **Howl (Me): Oh, thank god! Thanks, you two. Geez, if she'd finished that sentence, then we'd all be embarrassed. Could you do one more itsy bitsy favour for me? That little thing I asked you to do for me?**

 **Manly Dan and Tyler: Review please!**

 **Alter: Mmm!**

 **Howl: Thanks, guys.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Still not much to say here. Onto replies, then!**

 ** _France-Sandra:_ I'm glad you like the story. We'll have to wait and see what the relationship between Mabel and Bill will turn out to be (Not MaBill, though. Definitely not).**

 **I plan on everyone meeting Alter at least once, so you don't have to fret about Dipper never meeting Alter. When you say 'the two of them combined', do you mean Dipper and Alter or Dipper and Pacifica?**

 ** _Candymouse22:_ I'm glad you approve! And yeah, Stanford was getting kinda desperate, so that's why he took the risk of trusting another demon.**

 ** _Purest of the Hearts:_ Hmm, I am not familiar with this NiGHTS character. Although I doubt they will be too similar to Alter, because my girl is a wildcard that's as unpredictable as a rabid dog.**

 **Well, I'm done with that. Enjoy! Oh, and I put Liliana Dragonshard in this chapter, too! You're awesome, gal!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5 – Clothes and Fishing Rods**

The next day, Stanley took Dipper and Mabel to the lake for a spot of fishing. Stanford and Bill had stayed behind; the former because he needed to finish up a bit of work, the latter because he wasn't allowed.

It was around one o'clock when Stanford was finally finished with what he was doing. Standing up, he left the lab. It hardly occurred to him that he was being paranoid when he double checked for any signs of someone (aka Bill) having made an attempt to get into the lab. Although he did start getting suspicious of himself after the fourth check.

"You have nothing to worry about, Stanford," he told himself firmly as he walked into the kitchen to get himself some lunch. He knew that his brother would never stop whining about it if he didn't. After washing out his coffee mug and leaving it to dry, he wandered around the house in search of Bill. He'd left the ex-demon to his own devices whilst he worked, which probably wasn't his best idea yet.

There was a moment of paranoid anxiety when he couldn't find Bill anywhere in the Shack, but after walking out onto the porch, he was relieved to find that the blond-haired boy was just hobbling around on his crutches after Waddles and Gompers with a childish grin on his face.

"Wait!" he called, struggling to keep up with the two animals on his scrawny limbs. "I can't move so fast with these human legs!"

Much to his own surprise, Stanford chuckled in amusement at the boy's antics. If he hadn't known any better, then he would've believed that it was just another kid playing with the family pets. Of course; he did know better, and he wasn't going to stop knowing any time soon.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when Bill quietly shuffled up to him. "Could I get something to eat?" he asked. "My stomach feels sore. That's when humans know they've gotta eat, right?"

"Sure," Stanford said bluntly, realising that he was also hungry; having not had anything to eat since breakfast. "Then we can go to town and get you some decent clothes. Stanley was rather sparing when I asked him to get you some last week."

"Okay. Um, how are we going to get there? Stanley took the car."

Stanford frowned. That was going to be a problem. "I suppose we'll have to walk," he muttered.

At this, Bill looked apprehensive. "Right. So what's for lunch?"

"Stanley left some sandwiches in the fridge. We'll have those, and then be on our way."

Bill nodded and followed Stanford inside, with Waddles on his heels. He hastily ate the ham and salad sandwich that his temporary guardian had placed in front of him before pulling on his blue coat over the oversized Mystery Shack t-shirt he wore. Grabbing his crutches, he hobbled after Stanford down the dirt road leading to Gravity Falls. His broken leg resulted in the trek being a lot longer than it normally would have been.

About two thirds of the way there, Stanford noticed that the ex-demon was lagging behind. Looking back, he saw that Bill's arms were shaking, and he was sweating as he strained to carry on forward.

"Is everything alright?" Stanford enquired as he waited for Bill to catch up.

"I'm okay," Bill grunted as he finally reached the man's side.

Unconvinced, Stanford raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?" he pressed, because if the nuisance wasn't alright, then god forbid if Alter thought he wasn't doing a good enough job of looking after him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Bill dismissed. "Just… just a bit warm."

Stanford frowned and looked down the path. It wasn't too far, but with Bill struggling like he was, it'd still take a while. "You're tired," he stated bluntly. "Look, if you carry on pushing yourself like that, then you'll be too tired to do much when we get to town. I'll carry you the rest of the way."

Bill looked up at him sceptically, but he had to admit that Six-Finger had a point. It was getting harder and harder to keep going. If he did consent to being carried, then it was less effort on his part.

"Okay," he said. He gave a small yelp in surprise when Stanford lifted him up and placed him squarely on his shoulders, before holding a hand up to take his crutches from him. Once the scientist had the crutches firmly grasped in one hand; the other carefully holding Bill in place by the knee; and said boy was comfortably perched on top of him, he started moving forward at a steady jog.

Bill immediately held onto Stanford's head by his hair as he was carried along at a swift pace. Laughing, he relished in the feeling of air rushing past his face as it cooled his warm skin somewhat. This was actually quite fun. Not as amazing as dancing through black holes in the Mindscape, but still enjoyable.

Meanwhile, Stanford was trying to ignore the painfully tight grip that Bill had on his hair. He was thankfully lighter than Mabel or Dipper, so he allowed himself to take liberties with how fast he was going. If he managed to keep going at this pace, they'd arrive in town within ten minutes. Eight, if he pushed himself a little more.

They were about two minutes away when Bill started whimpering poignantly instead of laughing. He seemed to be in pain, so Stanford slowed to a stop. He still didn't like the former demon, but he might as well make an effort.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Leg hurts," Bill murmured unhappily. Stanford sighed. He thought he'd made sure not to jostle the kid's leg. It seemed no matter how much care he took, such a thing would be inevitable.

"Okay. I'll go more slowly now; we're pretty close to town anyway."

Bill let out a small noise of acknowledgement, and Stanford continued on his way; walking this time. A few minutes later, he was walking into the town.

"Time to start walking again," Stanford said gruffly as he lifted Bill off of his shoulders and handed the crutches to him. "Stay close to me, okay? I do _not_ need you wandering off."

For a moment, Bill looked as if he was actually considering disobeying him, but the expression vanished as quickly as it appeared. "Okay," he consented.

Nodding firmly, Stanford started walking down the street with Bill close by his side. After a short while, they reached a clothing store that bore several signs declaring most stuff was on sale, and headed for the area where the smaller clothes were kept.

"Okay, do you see anything that catches your interest?" Stanford asked, pulling out his wallet and checking how much cash he had. Twenty-five bucks and change; not a huge amount of money, especially since he didn't have a credit card at the moment, but that was why he went for this particular store; the sale made pretty much everything dirt cheap.

"Umm…" Bill mumbled as he slowly wandered about to take everything in. His eyes quickly settled on a black t-shirt that was decorated with different coloured, interlocking triangles. Typical. "I like this one," he said, clumsily lifting one from the rack. Stanford checked the price and saw that it was only a dollar thanks to the fact that it was on sale. Noting this, he rifled through them for one that was Bill's size, and thankfully there was one.

By the time they were done, they'd picked out several shirts, two pairs of shorts, a pair of jeans, a new set of pyjamas, and a decent supply of clean underwear. As he paid at the counter, he noticed that the young woman behind the till (whose name tag read Lily) was paying more attention to him than he felt comfortable with.

"Another Pines?" she finally asked as she scanned the iconic triangle shirt that Bill had first picked out.

Stanford shot a quick glance towards Bill, who was standing idly by the entrance. "Surprisingly, no," he said good-naturedly. "I've been working with his mother for the past few months." The well-practised lie flowed surprisingly smoothly from his lips. "She had to head to Tokyo for the summer, so I'm looking after him for her."

Lily smiled cheerily in Bill's direction. "He's sweet," she stated. "What's his name?"

"Bill. And you wouldn't be calling him sweet if you had to live with him. He's a troublemaker."

"Well, that's kids for you. My little cousin's his age, and hardly any different. How'd he break his leg?"

"He ran off into the woods not long after he first arrived. Then he fell out of a tree. The rest is obvious."

"Aaaw, poor thing. He's been okay besides that, right?"

"He's been a little miserable about the whole thing, but it shows he's learned his lesson at least."

"He does seem a little down in the dumps, doesn't he?" She scanned the final item and put it in the bag. "That's… fifteen bucks, forty-seven cents."

Stanford rifled through his wallet and brought out a twenty dollar bill; placing it on the counter.

 _Wait…_ Stanford halted his train of thought momentarily. _Oh, god, Stan had better not catch wind of that pun._

"Here's your change," Lily announced as she handed Stanford the money and clothes. "Oh, and take this; I'm never going to use it. Might cheer the kid up a little."

Surprised, Stanford took the offered piece of card. It was a family coupon for an all-you-can-eat restaurant that Stanford had noticed opening up recently. "Thank you," he said. "I'm sure he'll enjoy it."

"No problem. I know how it feels to be stuck with a broken leg. Well, I'll see you around. It's a small town after all."

"I'm sure. Again; thank you."

Lily responded with a dismissive smile, and Stanford picked up the bag of clothes, turning to leave. Bill followed him out of the door, and they both turned out onto the street outside.

"Are we going back to the Shack now?" Bill enquired.

"I need to pick up a few things, first," Stanford said. "Once we get those, we can head back."

"Okay."

* * *

Fiddleford Hadron McGucket was fishing for the Gobblewonker again. Okay, maybe not exactly. Everyone _thought_ that was what he was doing with the ramshackle fishing rod and small, rusty metal toolbox full of makeshift lures. In actuality, he was just trying to catch himself dinner for the next few days. He'd given up on trying to catch the monster of the lake. But hey, he wouldn't be mad if he got lucky.

Right now, he was sat at the edge of the lake, contently plucking random notes on his banjo whilst he waited for a bite. People were ignoring him, which wasn't a surprise, seeing as how he hadn't done anything to stir up any ridicule. As a result, his son hadn't made any attempts to drive him away.

"Hey, mind if I set up my stuff here?"

Fiddleford looked up in surprise at the source of the voice. Stood a couple of feet away from him was a young girl; hardly much older than eighteen; with a head of long, flowing-yet-messy purple hair that was tied up in a low ponytail, a pale, slender face and oddly mismatched eyes; the left a shimmering amethyst purple and the other a gleaming, metallic gold; set behind a pair of square-ish glasses with ocean blue rims. She wore beige combat trousers and a dark camouflage-patterned, sleeveless jacket that was adorned with multiple pockets over a light blue t-shirt and scuffed, well-worn walking shoes, and a black baseball cap with a logo so faded that it may as well have been declared nonexistent. A decent-looking fishing rod was slung over her shoulder, and she carried a small pack on her back. Her fingertips were smeared with a black substance; presumably ink.

"Sure thing lil' lady," Fiddleford consented. "I'd be a bit of a hornswaggler if I di'n't let ya have a gander at summa the bounty."

Immediately, the girl's face broke out into an elated smile. "Thanks," she said. Her voice was… quirky, to say the least. Typical tone of a girl her age, but with an oddly mixed accent that seemed to be a combination of English, American, a possible hint of Irish, and the bare minimum of Australian. "It's… McGucket, right?"

"You betcha. I'm a-guessin' yous ain't from 'round these parts, aintcha? 'Cause most folks seem t'know all 'bout me."

"I just moved here, actually," the girl stated nonchalantly as she set down her backpack and knelt down to set up a lure on her fishing rod. "I'd have come over more recently, but there was a bit of a struggle for the property, and I only just managed to claim legal ownership of it about a week ago. Hey, what sort of lure would be best for this part of the lake?"

"There's a lotta rainbow trout 'n these waters. Got any lures for those?"

"I think so," the girl muttered absent-mindedly as she rifled through her pack, bringing out a small box which she opened to reveal a more or less decent array of fishing lures. "Is one of these alright?" She held out a lure that was clearly designed to imitate a crawfish with a triple-pronged hook attached to it.

"Should do. Hey, I never asked fer yer name."

"It's Nina," the girl said as she fastened the lure to her line. "Nina White-Altar."

"Nice t'meetcha, Nina," Fiddleford greeted, holding out a hand for her to shake. "Yous can call me Fiddleford."

Nina's ever-present smile widened into a cheerful grin immediately. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Fiddleford," she said, eagerly grasping the offered hand and shaking it firmly.

* * *

Nina and Fiddleford spent the next several hours fishing alongside each other. The inventor quickly learned that his newest acquaintance was working as a freelance artist and writer (thus explaining the ink on her hands); currently looking for a publisher that would accept her literature (which she illustrated herself occasionally), and taking commissions online; and she'd also moved to Gravity Falls from England. Why such a bright and aspiring young lady would choose to live in such an odd town was beyond McGucket, but he didn't question it. Perhaps she was there for the anomalies that were so common here. They'd make decent inspiration for a writer.

In turn, Fiddleford told her some of his own stories; namely his quest for the Gobblewonker, and when he first met his raccoon wife. He managed to make her laugh on multiple occasions; the loud, insanely jubilant sound drawing confused and bewildered looks from passers-by that she clearly didn't care about; and whilst they waited for either one of their fishing rods to snag a bite, he treated her to several tunes on the banjo. When he'd offered to teach her, though, she'd politely declined, stating that if she was allowed to touch an instrument, the world would go deaf the moment she struck a chord.

Fiddleford managed to land himself several large trout and a few smallmouth bass during the time they spent talking. Nina had gotten several bites, but she had openly admitted from the start that she wasn't a well-practised angler. As a result, her first few attempts at reeling in a fish had ended in failure, but after tips and assistance from Fiddleford, she managed to land at least one trout. Apparently, such a thing was an accomplishment for her, because she spent the next five minutes bouncing around and cheering in a fashion that could only be described as hyper.

Eventually, angle of the sun started dipping ever closer to the horizon, and Nina began to notice.

"Well, I ought to head home," she said as she reeled in her line. "I'll see you around town?"

"Sure thing, missy," Fiddleford agreed, extending a hand towards the quirky young girl. "It's been nice makin' yer acquaintamence-. I mean acquaintance. It's been nice meetin' ya."

A cheerful smile graced Nina's features as she shook his hand in farewell. "Same here. You know; I enjoyed this. It brings back some good memories."

Fiddleford smiled as the girl's eyes filled with nostalgia. "Glad I could help reminisce."

Mismatched eyes gleaming cheerfully, Nina packed up her stuff and left. McGuckett watched her retreat down the winding dirt road that led to town, but then his attention was caught by light shining in his eye. Looking towards the source, he realised that it was being reflected by a necklace that lay in the dirt where Nina had been. From the thin silver chain hung an enamelled purple flame that would have matched the size of a typical coin, with a white spiral in the centre. Branching out from it was a pair of shiny white bat wings.

"N-Nina!" he stuttered out frantically, hastily picking up the pendant. "Ye forgot yer-. Huh?"

Fiddleford's worry turned to confusion as he looked down the road. Where Nina should have been, was little more than empty air.

The girl was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

 **((I've decided that I'm still doing the mini-roleplay thing at the end. Enjoy watching characters bicker like kids))**

 **Howls: And I'm not even sorry for all of the above!**

 **Stanley: Are you sure you should be writing accents? You're kinda laying it on thick with McGucket.**

 **Howls: I do have my doubts, but I'm hoping that everyone in the reviews will let me know if I did a good enough job of it. Now, you agreed to say something for me?**

 **Stanley: Review *is hit on the head by Alter* Ow! What was that for?**

 **Alter: *glares at him* You forgot the magic word.**

 **Stanley: Fine. _P_ _lease_ review.**

 **Alter: *nods* Much better.**


End file.
